APPEAL ON PERSISTENT STANDING

8 March 2013

Norwich City Football Club

Club and safety authorities ask for help from fans

FOLLOWING a successful appeal prior to our recent game with Everton, the Club is again asking all fans to help avoid the risk of serious sanctions being imposed on the Club by remaining seated during games at Carrow Road.

The Norfolk Safety Advisory Group (SAG) is working with the Club to help ensure supporters’ safety and enjoyment of the match is not compromised by persistent standing during games.

The passionate and noisy support of our loyal fans is something our Manager Chris Hughton and the City players have always been proud of and grateful for - and long may that continue! There was a marked improvement on the issue of persistent standing at the recent Everton game for which the Club is grateful.

Carrow Road’s partisan crowd and the proximity of the stands to the pitch make the atmosphere at our ground unique and it’s something that can provide a vital boost to the Canaries during the intensely competitive battle for Barclays Premier League points. And the Club of course understands that supporters may temporarily rise out of their seats at exciting moments in games.

However like other stadia up and down the country, Carrow Road became an all-seated ground following the publication of the Taylor Report in 1990, compiled in the wake of the Hillsborough Disaster of 1989 in which 96 Liverpool fans lost their lives in an overcrowded standing area.

Seated areas are not designed to safely accommodate large numbers of supporters standing either in front of their seats or in aisles and gangways. In addition, young, elderly and infirm fans often find their view of the game partially or totally obstructed by people standing in front of them.

Safety advisory groups around the country, comprised of representatives from the emergency services and local authorities, are charged with ensuring clubs are doing everything they can to minimise safety risks in their stadia on matchdays.

These groups, including ours here in Norfolk, have the power to close sections of the ground where persistent standing is a serious problem. Some clubs, including Manchester United, have had their away allocation reduced in recent seasons as a direct result of this issue.

Norwich City will be writing to our supporters and supporters of away teams visiting Carrow Road to appeal for their help and assistance in respecting these national regulations.

At our forthcoming game against Southampton our safety team and stewards will again be working to tackle any persistent standing in home and away areas of the stadium.

A spokesman for the Norfolk Safety Advisory Group said: "The SAG continues to monitor the situation concerning persistent standing. It fully supports this fresh initiative by the Club and hopes that the Club is able to work successfully with supporters to ensure there continues to be a great matchday atmosphere at Carrow Road, in an environment which is safe for all spectators.”